


The Windows in the Wall

by lucretia_the_director



Series: Once More, with Lup [2]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Balance Campaign, Gen, The Eleventh Hour, Umbrella Lup, umbrastaff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-18 01:20:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11863686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucretia_the_director/pseuds/lucretia_the_director
Summary: She still wasn’t sure what was causing the windows to appear but, when they did, she would perch herself in front of them and stare out into the world, hungry for a glimpse of her family or, failing that, literallyanythingthat wasn’t this black velvet prison.





	The Windows in the Wall

**Author's Note:**

> Please disregard the obvious plot hole. I have acknowledged its existence and elected to ignore it.

**_1_ **

The only thing worse than spending a decade trapped in an umbrella, all by herself, in a cave, in the middle of nowhere turned out to be being carried around by her, frankly, disrespectful twin.

He may not remember her, or realize that there was a sentient being trapped in his fabulous new accessory, but that was no excuse for treating such a badass umbrella so _callously_. 

Her umbrella was a fucking fashion statement, babe, and deserved far better than some asshole who popped it open in a fucking burning building because it was quote “impenetrable” and would keep falling debris off his head. (Sure, he was also using it to protect some woman and she was proud of him for that but…. Still Fucking Rude.) 

It wasn’t exactly the smell of smoke or the waft of a breeze across her nonexistent skin that snapped her out of her griping, but it was a close enough approximation that she was able to follow the sensation to the velvet curtain behind her and the small window set into the wall, as innocuous and unremarkable as though it had always been there. 

It most _definitely_ hadn’t.

She flung herself to her feet and across the room, scaling the bookcase placed conveniently below her new window. Unable to reach the window, even from her perch, she began to pull books off the shelf beneath her and pile them up into an approximation of stairs. 

Finally able to fumble with the latch that held the window shut, she pulled hard when it stuck, leaning back and throwing her weight into opening (or breaking, if it came to that) the window. She fell, hitting the ground hard and losing her breath when the handle vanished from her hand. 

Looking up, she shrieked in frustration.

The window was gone.

**_2_ **

They were in a cave, as far she could tell, the second time it appeared. 

She had just enough time to notice the window (set closer to the ground this time, on the opposite side of the room) before a cacophonous buzzing sound had her instinctively clapping her hands over her ears and curl into herself in an attempt to escape.

What followed was a devastating silence, broken only by the faint sound of the buzzing fading into the distance.

(She didn’t realize she could hear the sound of Taako breathing until she couldn’t anymore.)

Scrambling towards the window, which was low enough this time that she could see out of it if she stood on her toes, she stared, unable to breathe at the sight of the skeletal hand holding the handle of her umbrella. 

What the _hell_ had that noise been? What could have done this? 

The bones, which had been held in place solely by comedic effect, collapsed and sent her clattering to the ground. 

Ha, this was new! No one had been instantly reduced to a pile of bones before! Oh, she was really going to rag on the boys for this one once they…. came…. back.

_(“Will you two be careful!?”_

_Lucretia and Lup were sprawled out on the deck of the Starblaster, cool glasses of iced tea in hand, watching as the boys play-fought a few dozen feet away. Taako laughed as he cast yet another Magic Missile at Magnus, who danced out of the way, closer each time to the edge of the deck. “Why would we do that?”_

_“Are you forgetting that dying sticks here? There aren’t going to be anymore resets.”_

_Magnus frowned and glanced nervously back over his shoulder, taking in the mere feet of deck between him and certain death. Taako slid his wand back into his pocket and chuckled guiltily, gesturing Magnus away from the edge._

_“Sorry, Lulu. It’s too easy to forget.”)_

Lower lip trembling, Lup clutched at the edge of the windowsill until her knuckles turned white and ached from the force of her grip. 

Too easy to forget, too easy to forget, too easy to forget, too easy -- 

A sob ripped its way out of her throat and she clapped her hands to her mouth as she collapsed, struggling to breathe. 

Dying sticks, dying sticks, dying sticks, dying --

Elbows on her knees, her hands slid into her hair and clenched, fists painfully tight as she **_screamed._**

And then….

(The window disappeared.)

**_3_ **

By the time she had calmed enough to hear anything but the sound of her own gasping sobs and racing heartbeat, there were voices echoing from outside her prison.

And she must have finally gone 'round the bend because she would have sworn that one of them belonged to Magnus.

Which, of course, it didn’t because….

Dragging the back of her wrist over her face to clear away her tears, she sniffled and took a few deep breaths before concentrating on what they were-

_Did Magnus just say her name?_

No, of course not. He had no idea who she was. They were talking about…. Loops? Something about…. Saving the town before “something terrible happens”?

And…. that was Taako! And Merle! 

They were back, they were alright, they’d _reset_ somehow!

(As thankful as she was to hear their voices, she wished she knew how to trigger one of those windows. She would do _anything_ to see her brother alive, even if only to erase the haunting image of his bones.)

**_4_ **

(She’d figured it out. 

They were looping through the same hour again and again and again and again and again and….

She still wasn’t sure what was causing the windows to appear but, when they did, she would perch herself in front of them and stare out into the world, hungry for a glimpse of her family or, failing that, literally _anything_ that wasn’t this black velvet prison.)

**_5_ **

There was more than one window this time. 

Her only view was of the sky, though, and she had to assume that Taako had opened the umbrella and was using it as some sort of parasol. 

“Hey, Taako?”

Their voices were clearer than she could ever remember them being, no longer muffled and hard to understand. 

Taako hummed. (He hummed! She didn’t know where the windows had come from, but she hoped they were here to stay - she could hear everything so _clearly_.)

“There’s a bunch of holes in your umbrella.”

A muttered “fuck” and then she was hit with a sudden wave of vertigo (Vertigo! She hadn’t felt this elven, this _alive_ in years!) as her view of the sky blurred before coalescing into her brother’s face. 

She waved. 

He didn’t wave back. Obviously.

“I’ll have to patch these when we get back to the base,” he said and a finger came up to poke at one of her windows - One of the holes! That’s what must have happened! Her umbrella was damaged and she….

She could escape. 

She could _escape._

**Author's Note:**

> [ Tumblr!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lucretia-the-director)


End file.
